Arsenal were held to a 0-0 draw away at West Ham in the WSL on Sunday evening. Jonas Eidevall spoke to the press post-match, the first four questions are from Arseblog News.
On the challenge for the second half of the season being improving relationships in attack…
You might be right about that with players coming in and building relationships but when I see this game, we created a lot of chances today. We didn’t finish them well enough to force their goalkeeper to make any really good saves, we could’ve had more finishes on target.
You’re right and we’re working on the structure in attack but it paid off a lot today but we didn’t get an end product. That’s frustrating but that wasn’t for a lack of goal scoring opportunities. In the second half I was very pleased because we gave them absolutely nothing. In the first half they were still able to hit us a little on the counter attack but in the second half nothing. We had a structure where we forced them deep.
On Frida Maanum attacking the right half space in the first half and Caitlin Foord and Noelle Maritz starting on the right…
Maybe that is too tactical because we might have to play West Ham again this season. It was a tactical reason without going into any details.
On Frida Maanum moving back into the left half space in the second half…
A little more about how the game panned out. We used Frida a lot to press to our right side in the first half. But there was less structured pressing in the second half because when they won the ball their goalkeeper took a minute holding the ball and played it long, or else they were kicking it long so we had to defend from there. That meant there was less structured pressing which affects Frida’s position.
On whether confidence is an issue in attack…
For me, no, when I see the quality we have. I don’t think there is any reason to speak like that. Of course we have to do better with our goal scoring opportunities but that is football sometimes, it is small details. I was honest and transparent that I felt we needed another forward in this window but I was also very honest and transparent about the fact that I believe in these players that we have. We have a lot of quality. With the schedule in spring i felt we would be better off with another body. But we are not there yet, that is not a problem now. All our forward options were ready to play today so we have no excuses there, we have enough quality to produce more with these opportunities.
On why the opportunities weren’t finished today…
We scored nine against Leeds, we scored three against Villa, I can’t see a pattern. If you want to draw conclusions from one game it’s too small a sample size, there is too much noise in a 90 minute game. If I think it was a trend I would be really worried but let’s be very honest, we played West Ham, Leeds, Villa, Chelsea and Zurich, I think we scored 22 goals in these five games with these forwards. So I am not going to stand here and say we have a problem scoring goals when we have 22 in the last five games.
On not scoring from open play against Chelsea and West Ham…
I don’t like the question so much because it implies we would do something different. Of course we want to score with every opportunity but we don’t have robots, nobody does. There is a human element, there are small details on whether you put an opportunity away or not. My belief in these players doesn’t change because we didn’t score today.
The easiest thing you can do in football is to be fooled by the result and mix the result and the performance. We are disappointed with the result today but with with the performance, I know some people will never understand this and will always say ‘because you didn’t get the result you surely must have had a bad performance?’ I don’t agree with that and when you want to see progress, I know if these players get the same opportunities in the next game, they will put them away. I am 100% confident of that.
On whether the competitiveness of the league means this result doesn’t have to be terminal for the league title…
I think I’m more concerned with the expiration date on the milk in my fridge than what happens in the other games at the moment. It’s a competitive league but today it is a very dominant display from us, West Ham are very happy with the point. I think if you play this game 100 times with the same goal scoring opportunities, you are going to see a lot of Arsenal wins. I know many people won’t agree with that but that’s how i see it.
1.Zinsberger; 16.Maritz (26.Wienroither ‘67), 3.Wubben-Moy, 2.Rafaelle, 7.Catley (15.McCabe ‘67); 6.Williamson, 10.Little(c), 12.Maanum; 17.Hurtig (21.Pelova ‘67), 19.Foord; 25.Blackstenius (20.Gio ‘78).
The club’s internal target for this season is surely “top 3 finish in WSL” after the January transfer window we had. Can’t still expect a good chance of a title win after failing to address losing Mead and Miedema.
Top 3 isn’t a guarantee right now with games against City and Chelsea still to come. If we end up 4th and out of the CL Jonas has got to go, the club have given him money to extend player contracts and bring in ‘his’ type of players over the last 3 transfer windows. If this isn’t the team he needs and believes in then it’s down to his choices because he’s surely had more than enough time and money to win something by now. Even Taylor at City has a better trophy cabinet than Arsenal.
Where is the winning mentality from the team and the coach that’s needed to win a trophy? It’s fine scoring 4 past bottom of the table Leicester City, but losing to United, drawing with Chelsea and now a draw against a midtable team? And talk of needing players in does not make a title winning team spirit.
Not good enough from the coach and certainly not good enough from the players.
‘I think if you play this game 100 times with the same goal scoring opportunities, you are going to see a lot of Arsenal wins. I know many people won’t agree with that but that’s how i see it’ – Jonas What is that supposed to mean given the dropped points and handing advantage in the title race to Chelsea? Who cares about what the result would be if the game was played 100 times, what matters is that he couldn’t get a result tonight. He either got players selection wrong or his tactics wrong. And it is a massive… Read more »
I asked four questions about the attack, on Friday I asked about squad morale in light of the last couple of days of the transfer window and asked whether club needs to review the way it does transfers. I’m sorry if you don’t like the answers but that’s not my fault.
If you look at Emma Hayes responses last year when Chelsea were behind and dropped points, Jonas sounds very similar. Also similar to the men’s game against Everton, not a great result but not a bad performance either. Credit to West Ham (and Everton). ManU dropped points and it is likely Chelsea will drop points. They almost did against Spurs yesterday. COYG!
Watching the game today, I do not think Arsenal were bad at all. West Ham did a very good job of crowding the middle of their box, giving no space to the attackers. The second half was all Arsenal, while the first half saw West Ham threatening a few times.
For the first time I’m beginning to have some doubts about Jonas. It seems clear to me that Lina Hurtig is not delivering and I don’t really see any signs of potential improvement. Stina is still frustrating but I haven’t quite given up hope. He seems reluctant to make changes when things are clearly not working. I would have brought Vicky on for Lina at half time. As I felt against Chelsea, we are finding it difficult to make telling passes against a well organised defence. The player who has the ability to improve this aspect of our game is… Read more »
I remember when Sam Kerr started in WSL , first year was very bad, as Aussie I felt very sad watching her sat in the bench and booed by the Chelsea supporters, took a while for her to pick the pace of WSL, took time for Beth Mead as well to reach the top level she got before the injury. Lina doesn’t have even half year with the team.
Did they really boo her? Classy.
Kerr was absolutely terrible her first year. She had all of these wonderful chances and struggled to convert any of them; her finishing was absolutely awful. She’s overcome those first-year issues, to say the least.
You get she joined Jan 2020 when the league paused for COVID and no fans were allowed in stadiums? They boo’d Kerr? Did they now, in the 4 games she actually played in the WSL 19/20 season? Is this because McCabe wants out and to join a winning team?
They didn’t boo her. What on earth? Kerr’s very first game for Chelsea she got 2 assists and two weeks later she scored her first goal against us btw. Sounds like awful form for a striker after a big move. Would love to see Blackstenius with two assists or even a goal.
I agree
I’ve never known Hurtig to be a serious scorer. With Maanum’s development, the move to make is to put Miedema back at the striker/9 position and bring Stina off the bench. But then that would be next year, and there’s no telling where Miedema will be playing next year.
I didn’t attend this match. But when l was at the chelsea match at the Emirates l said to my friend when they brought Kirby on “we need to make a change now” l knew she would make the difference. Then, what was very nearly a win became a draw and probably cost us big time at the end of the season. Like others here l am beginning to be concerned about Jonas’s decision making.
On the evidence of yesterday you would have to agree. Every game in WSL is a “must win” game as you cannot afford to drop points. At nil-nil and without the opposition causing too many problems for our defence you need to change the attack to try and grab a win. Changing the defence that was working perfectly adequately makes no sense whatsoever! The main problem with Jonas for me is that he is too honest and open for the good of the club, for example, agreeing to games during Covid when our competitors were cancelling theirs to their own… Read more »
On Jonas I agree with the concerns about his openness and naivety being very worrying though tactically he has gotten the better of Emma Hayes on a few occasions which is not easy. According to his former players he works harder and perhaps more obsessively than most but it’s interesting that when Swedish players were asked about him they pointed to his intensity rather than his empathy or emotional understanding. The positive comments about him seem to come more from non-Swedish players which is odd given that he is Swedish! Mead has spoken about the energy he brings to the… Read more »
Need a coach that feeds the team winalot not runalot
The disjointed attack is a huge worry for the remaining games this season. There’s going to be plenty games against low block teams, we may end doing better against the City’s, Utd’s. Hurtig looks way off what’s required, Stina is giving me Lee Chapman vibes. Foord is always busy and she generates a lot of spaces/opportunities for others (mead and mediema cashed in) but doesn’t share that ruthlessness they have in front of goal. I hope Gio gets more game time, she’s got a directness about her. Jonas is gonna have to earn his wages in the coming months, there’s… Read more »
Lia back from injury and more playing time for Kathrine gives me hope.
Agreed considering Jonas got an improved contract after last season, right now it’s not looking like he’s the man for the job. He’s brought in 8 or 9 players over the last season and a half. They’re not all starters and the quality of those are questionable. It’s widely know Jonas failed to get several targets last summer as they chose to go elsewhere including Chelsea instead. If this was Joe dropping points against West Ham the fans would be calling for him to be sacked but Jonas still needs time? Or Jonas is dealing with injuries to Mead and… Read more »
How many players leave in the summer if they go yet another season without a trophy. Big noise about McCabe to Chelsea starting, one of Hurtig/Blackstenius/Foord has been offered to Untied by Arsenal. Maritz hardly playing and apparently used as a tactic by Jonas in case they meet West Ham again this season (only both getting to a final will do that) pointless mind games because he thought last night was an easy 3 points? When do Kuhl, Gio and Pelova get starting spots? What is the situation with Manu’s contract given the arrival of D’Angelo I’d say she’s leaving.… Read more »
Any club would miss Mead and Miedema and whether we need another prolific striker is debateable. There might be an argument to say that all such talk in the transfer window, offers made and the rumours of a swap deal has reduced the confidence of the current forward line and this is largely borne out by the hit rate of Blackstenius, a wonderful player, seemingly having a problem becoming the prolific answer we seek. That said, the girls are amazing and we did not lose!!